Audrain County woman found guilty of child endangerment

VANDALIA - Audrain County prosecuting attorney Jacob Shellabarger announced Friday 21-year-old, Johnetta Elizabeth Salmon was found guilty of endangering the welfare of a child and found not guilty of child neglect or child abuse.

Shellabarger said Salmon starved a three-month old baby boy by not providing the adequate amount of formula in a day, making the baby extremely malnourished. On top of being malnourished, the three-month old suffered from a broken arm and broken ribs.

Salmon blamed her friends, family, and doctors at SSM Audrain and the University of Missouri Health Care for the broken arm and ribs and took no responsibility for her actions. Shellabarger said Salmon was always looking for someone or something to blame for her abusive and neglectful actions that caused her son to suffer.

Salmon faces a maximum of three years of imprisonment. She will return to court on Aug. 1. The three-month old is in a safe home where the baby boy is protected.

[Editor's note: KOMU.com has updated this story to correct sentencing details.]